Yankees: What we learned from the postseason and what’s next

The Yankees have a catching problem on their hands.

And then there’s the catching situation, which suffers from Gary Sanchez behind the plate. Even the most loyal members of the Gary Sanchez Fan Club would agree that he was awful offensively and defensively during the regular season and postseason. As if he already didn’t have enough problems behind the plate and in the batter’s box, his suspect pitch calling became an issue during the shortened campaign.

Sanchez seemingly produces negative energy and is a distraction for the Yanks. The team must move him out and replace him during this offseason. This should be the number one priority. Minus a solid catcher behind the plate, the Yanks will not reach the World Series next year. All great World Series champions have had capable backstops, especially defensively.

At the same time, a change of scenery will probably be good for Sanchez. How much the Bombers can get for him on the market in return, however, is a big question mark – the team may very well have waited too long to move him and may not get someone valuable in return.

J.T. Realmuto will be a free agent this offseason. The budget-conscious Yanks will likely balk at his price tag and requested contract length and decide not to make a run at him. Instead, Cashman should aggressively pursue Chicago White Sox catcher James McCann.

McCann made the AL All-Star team in 2019. In 31 of the 60 regular-season games in 2020 (as the backup catcher for the White Sox), he had a slash line of .289/.360/.536, slugged seven home runs and drove in 15 runs.

He’s also a good fielder. He only had 5, 3, and 2 passed balls in 2018 (in 114 games), 2019 (in 106 games), and 2020 (again in 31 games), respectively, and his fielding percentages were .994, .992, and .985 for those three years. His CS percentages have been in the low-to-mid-30s throughout his career. He earned $5.4 million in 2020, and he should be affordable for the Yanks, especially compared to what the team would have to pay Realmuto.

Alternatively, on the other side of town, the Yanks could trade for Willson Contreras of the Chicago Cubs. At 28, he’s two years younger than both Realmuto and McCann, and he earned about $1 million less than McCann in 2020. He is arbitration-eligible in 2021, and he will be a free agent in 2023. He is a dependable hitter and an excellent fielder, knows how to call pitches and handle a good pitching staff, and has good leadership qualities. This is a long shot, but there were trade rumors surrounding him this past offseason. You never know.